Mississippi Mom Shoots Escaped Monkey to Protect Her Kids

JASPER COUNTY, Miss. (KPEL-FM) - Over the weekend, one of the remaining monkeys that escaped after an October 28 crash was found in Mississippi.

The Scary Sunday Morning Encounter

Early Sunday, Jessica Bond Ferguson was alerted by her 16-year-old son who said he thought he saw a monkey running in the yard outside their home near Heidelberg, Mississippi. She got out of bed, grabbed her gun and cellphone and stepped outside where she saw the monkey about 60 feet away.

Ferguson said she and other residents had been warned about the escaped monkeys carrying diseases so she fired her gun.

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“I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” Bond Ferguson, who has five children ranging in age from 4 to 16, told The Associated Press. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that’s when he fell.”

Sheriff’s Office Confirms Incident

The Jasper County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a homeowner had found one of the monkeys on their property Sunday morning, but had no other details at the moment.

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The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the monkey.

More Monkeys Still Missing

At least two monkeys are now still missing after a truck crashed in Jasper County on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. The crash occurred on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg.

Five of the 21 rhesus macaques were killed after they escaped from the vehicle after the crash.

Conflicting Reports on Disease Risk

Initially, Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson told his deputies that the monkeys were carrying infectious diseases, including hepatitis. However, Tulane University, which originally housed the animals, stated that the monkeys were free of pathogens.